Risk Assessment & Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CRE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment & Management flashcards as text
A COPD patient reports waking up at night with breathlessness three times per week. Using the MRC Dyspnea Scale, which grade best reflects this level of functional impairment?
Answer: Grade 4 — stops for breath after walking about 100 yards
Nocturnal symptoms combined with significant activity limitation place the patient at MRC Grade 4, indicating severe dyspnea.
Which spirometric criterion is the primary threshold used to confirm obstructive ventilatory defect in risk stratification for COPD?
Answer: FEV1/FVC ratio < 0.70 post-bronchodilator
A post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio below 0.70 is the GOLD standard criterion for diagnosing obstruction and initiating COPD risk stratification.
A patient with asthma has used their rescue inhaler more than two days per week for the past month but has no nighttime awakenings and no activity limitation. According to NAEPP guidelines, how is asthma severity classified?
Answer: Mild persistent
More than two rescue inhaler uses per week with no other impairment criteria meets the definition of mild persistent asthma.
When assessing fall risk in an elderly patient with COPD on supplemental oxygen, which factor most directly increases that risk?
Answer: Oxygen tubing on the floor
Oxygen tubing creates a physical tripping hazard and is a modifiable environmental fall risk factor for ambulatory patients.
A respiratory educator discovers that a patient with home mechanical ventilation has no backup power plan. Which risk category does this situation represent?
Answer: High risk — life-sustaining equipment depends on continuous power
Dependence on mechanical ventilation without backup power constitutes a high-risk situation because interruption can be immediately life-threatening.
Which validated tool is most appropriate for screening for anxiety and depression as comorbid risks in COPD patients during a respiratory education visit?
Answer: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
The HADS is a widely validated two-part screening tool for anxiety and depression specifically in patients with chronic illness.
A patient with a history of pneumothorax asks about air travel risk. Which assessment finding most directly increases risk of in-flight complications?
Answer: Recent pneumothorax within the past 2–3 weeks
A recent pneumothorax within 2–3 weeks is a contraindication to air travel due to expansion of residual gas at reduced cabin pressure.